Terms and conditions for a dropshipping business

A dropshipping store is the trader in law and an intermediary in practice, selling goods it has not inspected from suppliers it has not met, with delivery times that consumer law does not tolerate indefinitely. The terms have to accept the seller's responsibility, state delivery estimates and the consumer's rights when they are missed, deal with customs, returns and refunds across borders, and take product compliance seriously. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Dropshipping stores and brands in England and Wales selling goods to UK consumers through their own website with orders fulfilled directly by third-party suppliers, often overseas, using marketplace and platform integrations.

What matters in dropshipping terms

The seller of record and the consumer's rights

The store is the business the customer buys from, and the terms should say so: the customer's rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to goods of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, and under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 to cancel, are exercised against the store, whoever ships the goods. Referring customers to the supplier is not a lawful term.

Delivery times and the thirty-day rule

Under section 28 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 goods must be delivered within thirty days unless a different time is agreed, and the terms should state realistic delivery estimates for each supplier route before the order, say that estimates are estimates, and provide that where a stated time is missed the customer may cancel for a full refund. A store that promises fast delivery and ships from another continent has agreed something it cannot perform.

Customs, duties and international shipping

Where goods are shipped from outside the UK, the terms should say so before the order, whether duties and taxes are included in the price or payable by the customer on delivery, and that the headline price must include all mandatory charges under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, so a duty the customer will certainly pay should be in the price or clearly stated as payable. Goods are at the store's risk until received, and a lost parcel is resupplied or refunded.

Returns, refunds and logistics

A consumer may cancel within fourteen days of delivery under regulation 30 of the 2013 Regulations and return the goods, and the terms should give a UK return address or a stated procedure, say who pays return postage where the terms said so before the order, and refund within fourteen days of receiving the goods or proof of return. Faulty goods are refunded or replaced on evidence, with the store bearing return costs, and the store's arrangements with its supplier are its own.

Product compliance, descriptions and data

Goods placed on the UK market must comply with the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 and the product-specific rules that apply to them, and where the store imports goods it carries the importer's responsibilities under those rules, so the terms should say that the store sells only compliant products and describes them accurately from the supplier's specifications. Misleading descriptions are enforceable directly under the 2024 Act. Card payments carry no surcharge, and the privacy notice covers the customer data passed to suppliers for fulfilment as processors under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The supplier is taking six weeks. Can the customer cancel?

If the delivery time stated before the order has passed, or thirty days where none was agreed, the customer may cancel for a full refund, and the terms should say so. State realistic times and update customers.

Can we make customers return goods to the supplier abroad?

The terms can set the return procedure, but a return address abroad with high postage costs is the kind of obstacle that undermines the cancellation right. A UK address or a refund without return for low-value items is the practical answer.

A product we dropship turned out to lack the required safety marking. Whose problem is that?

Yours, as the seller and possibly the importer. Stop selling it, deal with customers who bought it, and change suppliers. The terms cannot shift that responsibility to the customer.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a print-on-demand seller
• Terms and conditions for an online shop selling to consumers

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.